Civil nuclear deal in mind, PM to visit Japan on Aug 31

After delaying his Japan visit by almost two months, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a four-day trip to the country to bolster bilateral ties in key areas of civil nuclear cooperation, security, defence and trade. During his visit, scheduled from August 31 to September 3, Modi will call on Emperor Akihito and hold an annual summit meeting with his counterpart Shinzo Abe.

“India and Japan have a strategic and global partnership. PM’s visit to Japan will further strengthen the bonds of friendship,” the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday.  In a statement, the Japanese government in Tokyo said it sincerely welcomes the visit of the Indian PM, which will strengthen friendly relations between the two countries.

Modi was scheduled to visit Japan in July but the trip was postponed in view of the Budget session of Parliament. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida met in Myanmar’s capital earlier this week to prepare the groundwork for a “very, very substantive outcome” from Modi’s visit.